According to the latest medical reports, it seems that our mood can boost or weaken the immune system. Check out more details about this below.
Mood can boost or weaken our immunity
It’s been just explained that our moods are able to boost or weaken our immune system.
It’s important to keep in mind that your mood can have an impact on your immune system and how often you get sick. As flu season is currently underway, many are considering getting the flu shot.
However, it’s important to note that receiving a flu shot alone may not completely protect you from getting sick. Recent studies show that flu shots are only 48 percent effective. So, what accounts for the other 52 percent?
Apart from medical treatments, there are several other factors that contribute to immunity, such as age, genetics, sleep, diet, exercise, social interaction, and mood. It’s worth noting that mood is often overlooked as a factor in our busy lives.
Various studies have shown that frowning can weaken the immune system while smiling can give it a boost. This can have an impact on both the body’s natural defense system and the effectiveness of flu shots. Considering the alarming increase in depression rates in the United States, this mind-body connection becomes even more crucial. A positive mood can have numerous benefits, which have been highlighted by the American Psychological Association. It’s like a booster shot in itself.
Research shows happier individuals tend to enjoy these advantages:
Stronger immune response
Less disease
Decreased pain
Better prognoses
Lower mortality rates
It’s never too late to turn your outlook and consequently, your health prospects around, even if you haven’t been feeling very positive lately.
Even brief moments of happiness, such as watching a comedy, positive journaling, or a yoga session, can boost your health markers.
These include better central nervous system parasympathetic activity (meaning your body can relax and digest), lower levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol, greater natural killer (immune cell) counts, lower inflammation, and less mucus, to name a few.
Cultivating positive moods can help the body return to a regenerative state that counteracts the negative effects of stress.
Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which are associated with positive feelings, help relax the body by activating the vagus nerve, a part of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Relaxation is important because it allows the body to repair itself, while chronic stress can cause damage over time.
Additionally, relaxation can also improve cardiovascular health, which is linked to many different diseases.
Interestingly, feeling good can also help combat stress-related hormones like cortisol and catecholamines.
These hormones can cause inflammation and reduce the production of immune cells and antibodies when they are present in high amounts.
By decreasing the levels of these hormones, positive feelings can help protect the body from the negative effects of stress.
